Downdraft - Definition and Overview

A downdraft is downward moving air, usually the direct result of air convection within the thunderstorm. Downdrafts can be extremely powerful, and some aircraft have crashed as a direct result of downdrafts.

The downdrafts that caused Delta Air Lines Flight 191 to crash after takeoff were presumably caused by an extremely powerful type of downdraft - Microburst Wind shear, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to research and deploy new storm detection radar stations at some of the major airports.

External links

• National Science Digital Library - Downdraft (http://www.nsdl.arm.gov/Library/glossary.shtml#downdraft)
• the Microburst Windshear (http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/trailblazer/SP-4216/chapter5/ch5.html#Taming)